by Kathy B.
(Denton, NE.)
I have a (approx. 1980) vinyl sliding patio screen door that I can't remove off its track. The only adjustable places on this patio sliding screen door are located at the inside top of the screen door frame itself.
And that the two hole openings looks like an unusual tool may be needed as well? Possibly a tool that may have come with the whole patio door package itself? I guess I would best describe the tool that's needed as something that would fit into a circle with one small notch taken out of the circle.
And yes I have tried using a Hex or Allen wrench to adjust the tension but its not working thus far. Hmmm, I have a hunch it's not not working because I've no clue what I'm doing and because I'm also trying to apply the wrong tool for the removal project itself?
Also please note that even before I started fooling with the screen door itself, I did noticed that one of the special tool openings looks like the inside of it, (so-called guts) may have indeed slipped down somewhat as well? So perhaps that is another reason as to why this screen door wont come off?
Anyway, any advice from you will be very much appreciated!
Thanks so much!
Kathy = /
Hi Kathy;
I dont know too many screen doors that need special tools to remove, but that does not mean they do not exist.
Would love to see some pictures if possible so I can see what you are up against.
You are right that there ought to be some sort of screw to adjust the roller height, that would be the first thing I would look for.
There are tools called EZ-Outs that are like a screw thread turned in the opposite direction. They can grip a stripped out screw head and turn it when regular screwdrivers and allen keys dont work. You can find them at home depot.
Some screen doors have no rollers at all, just nylon glides that are spring loaded with no adjustment. When you pry up the bottom of the door with a screwdriver, can you see the bottom of a glide or roller sitting on the track. Can you pry the roller or glide off the track while pulling the door toward you ?
If you cant pry the roller up, the other possibility is that the door frame has sagged due to a cracked foundation underneath the door or the wooden house frame settling. Or both. That can remove the gap you need to remove the door and make it impossible to pull the door out without fixing fixing the sagging problem first.
Sometimes removing the casing and pulling the wooden shims out of the top of the door frame allows the frame to spring back up and gets you the gap you need to lift out the door easily. Other times the settling is so bad the whole door and frame needs to be rebuilt
In any case pictures would be awesome especially if you can get a close up of that strange screw, or at least a a close up of the corner where its located